bamaace83 ’s Comments (group member since Dec 11, 2018)

bamaace83 ’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

DQs Day 3:

10. We read something that moves us, touches us, speaks to us and it... it changes us?"

Do you agree with that quote? Are there any books that changed you personally?

Yes, I think books have the power to really hit someone deep and lead them certain ways depending on the topic/season of life. If you're having a rough day, maybe a happy romance or if you're troubled with work, you may need a psychological thriller to put your mind somewhere else. Whenever I get in a funk, I just want a light fun romance just to fall in the story with those characters and it takes my brain away from whatever is bothering it.


11. We finally get the first riddle. Did you guess it before Lucy did?

It took me a couple times reading it but I finally got it. I was surprised more of the people didn't figure it out.


12. What did you think of The City of Secondhand and of Markham showing up like that? Is he just a sleezy lawyer, or is there something more sinister going on?

I've finished the book but at that point I felt it was a hit of something ahead.


13. do you have to keep reminding yourself that the "contestants" are adults, not children?

No, because I think the games that they are doing could be for either adults or children.


Some other thoughts:

- Why would someone being a "famous artist" mean it's odd for them to bring a guest their dinner? I found this rather a lot weird.

Yeah, I think this part was weird.


- One for the backroom BOM regulars: Did the whole bizarre scarf thing give anyone else Hot Prof and Daisy vibes? 😆

I didn't read the backroom books.

Thank you so much for filling in my boxes. Work went crazy and I was coming in tonight to get everything caught back up.

I'm coming in hot and adding a good chunk of books. I also am in the minority and actually liked The Wishing Game for the most part. It does read as a young adult book for me more than a regular book but I liked the little cat and mouse challenges and puzzles. It also read super fast which I was glad about. I finally got my hands on the e-book and was able to knock it out.

Work went a little crazy today so I may not get everything updated until later but I did get some of it done.

DQs Day 2 Chapter 6 - 11

6. Jack replied to Lucy's letter and Lucy decided to run away from home. What did you think of his letter and would you have done the same as Lucy?

Lucy was in a bad place and someone reached out and offered her hope. In her state at that time, she did the only thing she thought was right. I don't think I would've ran away but I also wasn't in those shoes.


7. We get more insights on Clock Island. Every 'hour' is its own section like for example a beach. Would you like to visit the island? Do you find the idea of it fascinating or could you not care less?

I like the setup of the island. I'm curious to know more.

8. Every part starts with a quote from Jack's book. Do you think these parts are important for the story? Just showing off Jack's work? Something else?

I think they are clues to the story but not sure what everything means just yet.

9. It seems like there will be a deeper connection between Lucy and Hugo. Do you agree? And would you approve of it given that Hugo had first met her when she was still a child?

I think there is a connection to Hugo but not sure what that connection will be. I don't think they are going to be in a relationship but more like a friend/helper in time of need. Maybe help get Christopher later?

Discussion Questions : Day 1 (Prologue - Chapter 5)

1. We have been introduced to a few important characters - Lucy, Christopher, and Hugo. Plus the off-page persona of Jack. What do you think of the characters so far?

I like the characters so far. My favorite one at the moment is Christopher. I just want to get to know him more and love how his brain works.


2. We get a riddle right away in the Prologue:

"Two men on an island and both blame the water
for the loss of a wife and the death of a daughter
but neither ever married, and neither's a father.
What is the secret of the girls and the water?"

Then Hugo thinks to himself that "Five years ago, it [the ocean] had brought low the small, strange kingdom of Clock Island." Do you think the riddle is related to what happened five years ago? Any speculations on what it all means, assuming you haven't read ahead?

There's definitely going to be a connection but I'm not sure what it is. I'm interested to find out more.


3. At the beginning of Chapter Two, Hugo says that he used to dream about living in Greenwich Village, but now that he can actually afford it, it doesn't hold the same appeal. He basically says that success kills motivation. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?

Sometimes, you save and save for something in life but once you can achieve that then it's not the same anymore. I think it's always good to try to reach for the highest thing possible but also realize that you don't have to take that leap if you don't want to.


4. What do you think of the wishing game Lucy plays with Christopher? Do you think this game and mindset are healthy? Do you agree with Lucy that it gives them hope, or do you agree with the social worker that it just gets their hopes up?

I like the wishing game she plays with him because it allows his imagination to grow. I don't necessarily think it gets his hopes up but allows him to imagine what life could be like. It also helps to build a trusting relationship with an adult in his life when he doesn't really have a lot of those.

5. Why do you think Jack finally started writing again? And what might be his motive in holding a contest for the only copy of the new book?

I'm not sure. I'm curious as to where this is going.

I do this all the time! I've been watching The Wishing Game for awhile now. I have it on audio but I wanted the ebook version also. Indiana has a huge digital library that all libraries are part of and that does help speed the process up sometimes but often I'm sitting staring at the numbers. I also return the book as soon as I read it and I'm not sure everyone does that.

I'll get all my books updated this weekend. I'm only working two days next week because of the holiday break so I'm hoping to really knock out some books that I need to finish. I also will be reading Wishing Game and Catching Fire next week.

DQs Day 3
Chapters 14-19

11. Starling House reminded me up to a point with some vibes of Beauty and the Beast, although lesser now as the story progresses. Is the book reminding you of any other stories you have read before?

I can see the Beauty angle at the beginning but then it went away from it. I don't read a lot of these type books so nothing comes to mind other than maybe some dark and mysterious vibes at times.


12. Ch 14-19 have answered a lot of questions about Opal, the house, Arthur, the history of the place and what's going on. Has anything revealed in this section been surprising to you? Does the explanation so far of everything that has happened ring true?

I finished the book but nothing was a surprise to me. I think everything followed the theme of the book pretty well.


13. Jasper and Opal are clearly close, although he is sometimes moody and surly. He seems resentful at times of Opal going out so far on a limb to take care of him and get him out of Eden. What do you think of the character now that he has more fleshed-out scenes and more has been revealed about him and their relationship?

I liked Jasper from the beginning and I still liked him during this part. He was one of those characters that made me want him to pop up more in the story.


14. Arthur and Opal have heated a few things up. Do you think they fit each other well with these developments?

Yeah, I liked these two together. It was fun to watch their relationship expand.


15. There is humor in the book that is overshadowed by genuinely creepy horror like tales, What do you think about Underland "beasts" revealed so far?

I don't normally read horror books and I was trying to figure out why they were there at this point.

DQs Day 2 - Chapters 8 - 13

6) The narration is using dual POVs: 1st person for Opal, 3rd person for Arthur. Does it work for you? Do you think this suits the story?

I liked it because it was different than what I normally read. It kept the story going for me.

7) Opal goes to the Library to find out more about Starling House and finds her mother's phone number among the Gravely family's documents. What implications can it have? Do you think it could be a hint about Opal's parentage?

At this point in the book, I wanted to know what her mother knew. I felt there was a connection there that Opal needed to find out.

8) After Bev's story about the relationship between Eleanor Starling and the Gravely brothers, we get a totally different perspective from what Nathaniel Boone went through. What do you think about the Gravely family and their "hold" over the town of Eden? What do you think Nathaniel may have discovered in the dark?

I wasn't surprised that this happened. In small towns, I feel this thing happens more often than not. I didn't know what Nathaniel had discovered.


9) Finally we learn some more about about Arthur's role (warden) and his connection to the House. What do you think about their "relationship"? What is your opinion about Starling House as a sentient being? Could it be good or evil?

I felt the house was evil. I wanted more for Arthur. He was stuck.

10) On "characters not communicating"
In Chapter 12 we find out that Opal has not told Jasper about the fact that she arranged for him to go to a different school and she actually managed to put together the fee for the 1st year already. Opal doesn't tell his brother about her working in Starling House and she doesn't tell Arthur about her spying on the House for Elizabeth Baine and getting more and more demands.
What do you think of all this?

I felt all the storylines helped to build to the story. I don't think the book would've been the same without multiple different little things to keep it entertaining.

I'm going to listen to The Wishing Game on audio next week. We are going away out of town this weekend for a wedding but I have it planned for my car book. I didn't really like the previous book either and I still have to catch up on all my questions but I'm hoping this one is better.

Sorry about not making it back in to get that last question in for Hunger Games. I had a couple other posts but read the rules and they weren't beefy enough to count. We don't have any big vacations planned this next round so I should have some more reading time. Work usually is more tolerable in the summer time than in the other months.

Gwen|| Bookish Blondie wrote: "bamaace83 wrote: "I need to get all of my books added and I can find a cornupia one to read."

I've already begun reading for the cornupia one."

I misread the earlier post at work and thought we needed a couple of them. I'll keep an eye out for what's left and I can fill in as needed. I did just add my books that I've read so far this month. Work has been a little nutsy but I should be able to knock out some things this week.

Are they old enough now? It might be a fun summer project that y'all could read it together. I always find it interesting to pick up series again a few years later and see what jumps out or what sticks from the first time that I've read it, especially series like this one that I read when they first came out.

I need to get all of my books added and I can find a cornupia one to read.

I still need to read the Songbirds book. Maybe I'll get to it this summer. I haven't watched it either.

DQs Day 1
Ch 1 to 7

1.) Have you read other books by Alix E Harrow? Was this on your tbr list before it was a BOM selection? Any expectations going in?

I haven't read any of her other books. This book definitely wasn't on my tbr before it was chosen as BOM. I don't typically read this genre unless it's for a challenge. I just hope that this books holds my interest and I don't have to struggle through it.


2.) Did you read the footnotes as you went along? Find them helpful? Annoying?

I didn't even notice there were footnotes. I'm going to have to go back and find them to see what I've been missing.


3.) The discussion of E.Starling's book being too scary for children reminded me of some interviews with M.Sendalk when the Where the Wild Things movie came out several years ago about books, etc that scare children (when children are the target audience). His response was basically children should be scared sometimes and there's nothing wrong with that. And has further said, it's better to have a book full of fears than one pretending there's nothing to be afraid of. What are your thoughts on this topic?


I think that reading different kinds of books even scary ones, opens up our brains to think differently. I personally don't like horror books but I will try them because it gives my brain something else to think about. Also, having a discussion with kids about the scary topics helps to take away some of the fears.


4.) What are your thoughts so far on Eden and Starling House? Has the author done a good job so far of creating an atmosphere and setting for a good gothic story?


I think the author is doing a great job of creating the atmosphere for the house. I can see why a person would want to know more about Starling House.


5.) Any favorites so far in our motley cast of characters? Opal, Arthur, Jasper, Bev, and Starling House.

I want to know more about Jasper.

Added it!

Maria Jo wrote: "Laura wrote: "My kids reminded me that the twist for the 50th was [spoilers removed]. Heartbreaking."

I forgot about that twist with Haymitch and the girl he loved! That helps explain why [spoiler..."

I also put that twist in the back of my mind and went that makes sense when I read it.

I'm currently hanging out in District 11. I reread this book this past week and forgot how much that I actually liked it. I have had the opportunity in the past to meet Jennifer Lawerence in the past and I read this book long before I met her. It was fun hearing her voice as I read the book. I really enjoyed the character of Katniss. I've always been her fan. I think I now need to watch the movie again to see how closely the book matches with the movie because it's been so long.

I haven't been able to start Salt and Broom yet so I'm saving it for this weekend. I did get Hunger Games finished this week so I'll get all that updated. Vacation was fun and I chose to read fast steamy romance books because I wanted quick things for planes/train/travel days. I'm going to get all those books added today.